7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Am I the only person who liked this movie?, February 26, 2005
This review is from: Calendar Girl [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I mean, to say the least this movie is entertaining. The acting quality is very good, even though the story is far from original. And I've always been against movies that charicature or try to replicate the image of an old Hollywood star or celebrity who wouldn't have anything to do with the production (anything directed by Robert Zemeckis!). And this movie could have easily been some kind of slog through material that seemed uninspired, but there was just a magic about movies made at this time. And this movie could succeed on it's own just based on it's charm.
Priestly was taken off the success of 90210, and Jerry O'Connell was kind of a star just based on the cult success of Stand by Me and yet he was that guy audiences just never forgot about, and the third guy- well who knows who he is? And I don't know what it is, but they really do seem like old buddies. They're also really young, bordering on us watching a virginal teenage boy cut-out character times three. I just don't see what other people have against this movie. Because for a movie about a pop culture icon, this movie could have upset a lot of people.
But watch the movie and you'll see that there's a lot this movie has to offer. It's a lot of fun. We get a really quick slice through the culture of this movie and we see what really made these boys wild about Marilyn Monroe and we get to feel a little bit of their reckless abandonment for the rules of being young. Watching it is like being there, the way the music and the characters live out their experiences it feels plenty realistic. I am still in awe of how many people didn't care for this movie.
I never liked Marilyn Monroe, but this movie almost makes me think differently about it. Not that that's the primary function of a movie like this. It's just about a group of (VERY cute) boys growing up and learning to act like young men. And it's a lot of fun, for a roadtrip movie / period piece about guys roaming.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Why Isn't This Movie On DVD Yet??, March 25, 2010
This review is from: Calendar Girl [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This movie was a decent movie in it's time...it never pretended
to be anything other than what it was and I respect that.
Three best buds (red-blooded american jock types) in the early 60's,
led by the very studly Jason Priestley (who was fresh off of his stint
on "Beverly Hills 90210"), go on a trek across America to Hollywood
to try to get a glimpse of the legendary sex symbol Marilyn Monroe.
Priestley's character is very much obsessed with Marilyn..in fact, he
wants to make love to her so good that she proclaims him as the best
lover she's ever had!! Anywayz, he leads himself and his buddies on
an interesting and eventful journey which has some funny moments as
well as some poignant ones too.
Priestley's character is a lowly mechanic from middle america who has
big dreams and seeks to break free from his mundane exsistence, and even
escape some childhood demons in the process.
He sees Hollywood as a springboard for him to find what he's looking for!
It's kind of like a coming of age story in a sense.
I love Priestley's characters fearlessness and balls-out enthusiasm.
It reminds you of what it's like to be young, somewhat naive, and bold
enough to follow your heart into hell and back!
Alot of his fans like this film because they get to see
Jason Priestley's very taut buns, along with his buddies, as they find
themselves on a nude beach, following who they think is none other than
Marilyn, who's frolicking au naturale along it's sandy shores...
Hey, when in Rome, right? (-:
I'm just wondering why this film has never been released to DVD
yet as many far worse & trite, not to mention plotless, jock-type
road flicks from the late 80's and early 90's have been given almost
deluxe DVD treatment some 20 to 25 yrs after they first played in theatres.
I'd give this film 3 1/2 to 4 stars tops for it's overall effect,
and it was decently entertaining in it's time.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
LOOKING FOR MARILYN., February 11, 2002
This review is from: Calendar Girl [VHS] (VHS Tape)
"Calendar Girl" is about three young men in the '60s who go on a trip to Hollywood to try and meet their dream woman...Marilyn Monroe. Roy (Jason Priestly) is the leader of their little group and gets his hands on both a car and some cash to finance their adventure. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly obtain those things honestly. A couple of goons called the Gallo brothers go to Hollywood to try and find Roy. That's because the money that Roy got his hands on was stolen from them. The Gallos end up being the sole bright spot of the film. One of them is deaf and they use sign language to communicate. What's really cool is the way that they sign in unison throughout the film. They are so smooth in their signing that it is fascinating to watch them together. Stephen Tobolowsky (Antonio Gallo) is his usual humorous self and plays the part of a sarcastic thug quite well.
Unfortunately, the rest of the movie doesn't have as good of a flow to it. The three main characters don't have much in the way of charm or intelligence. They just kinda stumble along, occasionally coming up with pathetic schemes to try and get close to Marilyn. One of them eventually goes on a late night drive and stroll with Miss Monroe. However, it all seems rather anti-climactic and the movie quickly ends afterwards.
For those of you so inclined, you might want to check out "Calendar Girl" for the scene when they try to find Marilyn at a nude beach. It's extremely revealing for a movie that isn't rated R.
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